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The Strengthening Career & Technical Education for the 21st Century law, or “Perkins V,” is a federal education program that invests in secondary, postsecondary and adult Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories. Perkins is:

• Dedicated to the continuous improvement of and relevancy of CTE to meet the ever-changing needs of learners and employers

• Increasing learner access to high-quality CTE programs of study

• Key provisions in the new law include:

  • Requiring extensive collaboration among State- and local-level secondary, postsecondary, and business and industry partners to develop and implement high-quality CTE programs and programs of study;

  • Introducing a needs assessment to align CTE programs to locally identified in-demand, high-growth, and high-wage career fields;

  • Strengthening the CTE teacher and faculty pipeline, especially in hard-to-fill program areas, including STEM;

  • Promoting innovative practices to reshape where, how, and to whom CTE is delivered;

  • Expanding the reach and scope of career guidance and academic counseling; and

  • Shifting responsibility to States to determine their performance measures, including new program quality measures, and related levels of performance to optimize outcomes for students.